Grief
by NerdyNygma
Summary: Hank and Erik react to the death of someone dear to them


Hank stood over the grave of the woman he loved and simply stared.

None of this felt real. Mystique couldn't be dead. She had survived for so long and so much. How could she be dead? How could this have happened?

Questions swirled almost incoherently in his mind. He couldn't wrap his mind around what had happened. He needed a drink.

He walked away from the grave and into the school. He turned and looked back over his shoulder one last time before entering. It felt so wrong to leave her there. So wrong to leave one of the most courageous, toughest and strong-willed people he had ever met in the cold hard ground. He didn't like the idea of leaving her in the ground as it rained. Although it seemed the sky was mourning with him, he didn't want anything to damage her even further.

He found his way to the kitchen and opened a bottle of scotch. He poured the first glass and held up the glass to the light. He watched it reflect and make patterns. It reminded him of Mystique's constantly shifting appearance. With his mind back on the loss they had suffered he downed the drink in one.

He grimaced and put the glass down and refilled it.

When he was in his third or fourth glass he noticed he had company.

"Hank. You should get some rest."

The blue skinned mutant looked at the Professor. He stared at him and didn't reply. Charles sighed and wheeled himself closer to the kitchen table.

"She wouldn't want us to be miserable. She would want us to carry on. But tonight we say goodbye."

His words struck a nerve. Charles reaches for the bottle and began to pour another drink. Beast snarled and knocked the drink out of Charles' hand. The glass flew across the room and shattered as it hit the floor. The table and floor were covered in scotch.

"How would you know what she wanted? How do you know?! She wanted to live. She wanted to be here! She…she…"

Hank could feel the tears gathering as he shouted. Charles looked on sympathetically as they both mourned the loss of one of the most important people in their lives.

"Hank…"

"Don't. This is your fault! If you hadn't of pushed Jean to reveal her power she never would have lost control! She never would have killed Mystique! You kept that from her! It's all your fault! Your decisions killed her!"

With that Hank stormed off. He wasn't sure where he was going but he knew he had to leave.

He wandered the streets and as he sobered he thought about where he could go. He was too angry at the Professor to go back right now. So where could he go?

His thoughts turned back to Raven and he knew where to go. He returned to the school and took one of the cars.

He drove until he found the last location he knew Magneto to be.

He parked and began to wander around. As e did so he noticed he was being watched. He continued walking around and realised he was also being followed. He stopped and turned around to his pursuers.

"What do you want?" He asked tired as the alcohol began to leave his system. He noticed that his pursuers seemed to be mutants.

"Do you know where Magneto is? Can you take me to him?"

The two pursuers looked at each other and then nodded, "Follow us."

Hank did as he was told until he reached a fairly unassuming sight. Old shipping containers were piled around to make a make-shift accommodation of sorts. It looked like Hoovervilles he had seen in the history books but less populated. He looked around at the mutants watching him and noticed a big difference between these and those they took in as students. Most, if not all, had physical mutations.

Hank's heart beat loudly as he began to realise why they had been struggling for students recently. Most wee coming here to Magneto. He seemed to accept anyone and everyone. His musings were interrupted by a familiar voice.

"I never expected to see you here."

Hank watched as Magneto approached, "I didn't expect to be here either but circumstances changed."

Erik raised an eyebrow at that and motioned for Hank to follow him. They entered what looked like an office and with only the two of them.

"What brings you here Hank?" Erik asked as he gestured Hank to take a seat. He headed to where the drinks were kept.

"Mystique's dead. We buried her today."

Erik stopped. He took a deep breath as his emotions began to build. He could feel his throat closing and he swallowed to relieve the pressure.

"I know. But you didn't come here to tell me news I already knew." He handed Hank a drink and sat down in the seat behind the desk. He put his drink down and waited for Hank to speak.

Hank took a sip of his drink and held the glass in his hands. He had never gotten on with Erik but now he felt a connection to the man. He knew what it was like to lose someone you love. It was an indescribable pain. Sometimes it overwhelmed him. It hurt just to lose one. He didn't know how Erik could go on having lost so many.

"I couldn't stay at the mansion. Charles refuses to see the part he played in her death. I just couldn't, anymore."

This peaked Erik's interest. He wouldn't admit it but he had mourned the blue-skinned shape-shifter. He remembered the tears as he allows himself to feel the pain. He had once again lost someone he cared about. He didn't know how much more he could take.

"How was Charles involved? I thought it was Jean Grey who killed her." He took a sip of drink. Even saying the words hurt.

Hank downed his drink and put his glass on the desk, "Jean's lack of control is Charles' fault. It turns out Jean was attacked by something when she was young. It made her extremely powerful and unstable. When she came to the school Charles sealed away a portion of her power and never told anyone. When we fought Apocalypse he encouraged her to unleash that power. Since then she has been struggling to maintain control. He forced her to open the floodgates and now he can't close them. Because he never told anyone what he had done everyone was unprepared for the consequences. Me, Charles, Jean and everyone else at the school. Charles fails to see what he did was wrong. Even with Raven now laying dead in the ground."

The metal in the room quaked with Erik's emotions as he listened to Hank. He had always known Charles was arrogant but how could he not see that his actions had been wrong? How could he convince himself that he was free from guilt? He had killed her. He was the cause of Mystique's death.

His anger flared and he knew he had to get revenge. He couldn't allow her to die in vain.

"That's not all."

Hank's voice broke him out of his thoughts and Erik forced himself to be calm. He downed his drink and got up to prepare another one.

"She loved you."

Erik stopped. Why did Hank keep saying these things when his back was turned? Maybe it was easier that way. Whatever it was Erik remained still and waited for Hank to continue.

"I may not like it but we both knew what we had was temporary. She loved you. You always held her heart. I just filled the time."

Erik turned and sat down. He slid one of the drinks across the desk and Hank drank some.

"I don't think she would have stayed if she truly felt that way."

Hank shook his head and looked at the glass in his hands.

"You were the love of her life. Were you aware you had children with Mystique?"

Erik paused. The drink he had never managed to reach his lips before he put it back down. Hank never raised his gaze as he revealed a secret Mystique and made him promise to never tell.

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly that. Raven told me she had three children. Two she had with you. Kurt is at the school. Goes by Nightcrawler. She never revealed who his father was. But she said she had a son and a daughter with you."

"What else did she say?" Erik couldn't believe his ears. He had children. After the loss of his daughter all those years ago he had given up on fatherhood. Children were clearly not for him. Plus the world he lived in was too dangerous. He couldn't risk suffering another loss like the one he had when Nina had died.

Hank shrugged, "All she said was that they existed. She said that she had named them Lorna and Max but she didn't know if they were alive or dead. All she would say was that she had lost them years ago. I remember her saying that the pain of losing a child was nothing compared to the unknown. Simply because the unknown is torture. There's always a part of you that hopes. Hopes that your child is alive and that you will find them one day."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I felt you should know. We have all made mistakes. We all have regrets. If we could go back I'm sure we would all change something. But we can't change the past. Despite what Logan achieved. We can only move forward."

As Hank finished neither man spoke. They mourned their loss in shared silence. They would always remember Mystique. The woman who had changed their lives.

"What do you plan to do now?" Erik asked. Hank looked up from his drink for the first time in a while but not before taking another sip.

"I plan to avenge her. She didn't deserve to die. Even if she felt like she was living on borrowed time. It wasn't her time to go."

Erik raised his glass in toast.

"To Mystique. May we avenge her and may we never forget her."

Hank raised his glass, "To Mystique."

The men downed their drinks and put them down. Erik stood up and clapped a hand on Beast's shoulder, "Sober up my friend. We have a lot of planning to do."

With that he walked out of the office space.

Hank stayed put and noticed the old couch in the corner. He stumbled his way over to it and laid down. Hopefully the hangover in the morning wouldn't be too bad. He hoped he would see Raven in his dreams. He wanted to do right by her even if that meant standing against Charles.

Erik entered his room and sat down on the bed. It squeaked in protest as he removed his shirt and sorted himself out for bed. He allowed a few tears to fall as the pain of Mystique's loss bubbles up to the surface. He replayed Hank's words in his head and resolved to punish those who had wronged the blue-skinned beauty. He would make them pay. He would make them regret every making a move against her.

Hank was right she hadn't deserved the fate she got.

He laid down and replayed the words again. He had children. Somewhere out there his children were alive. He was sure of it.

He didn't want to start unpacking the emotions that bubbles up alongside his grief. He wasn't sure what to make of the fact that she had held him in high regard for so long. He knew he didn't deserve it. Although he would be lying if he said he didn't love her as well. He and Hank would avenge the woman they both loved.

He fell to sleep with a plan forming. Once he had gotten his revenge he would find his children. He would do all he could to do right by them when Mystique couldn't be here.

(Little did he know he would find more children than just Lorna and Max)

* * *

 **I watched the Dark Pheonix trailer and this fic came into my head. I've heard rumours that Mystique may die so I wanted to explore if that happened. I haven't read much else about the upcoming film but I'm interested to find out when the film comes out.**


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